LeVar Burton: List of Movies, Films and TV Shows

Star Trek: The Next Generation was and remains a milestone in TV history. Now you can enjoy the breathtaking universe of the USS Enterprise D in all its richness and diversity with this special 20th Anniversary collector's gift set. All seven seasons across 48 DVDs with a special disc of bonus features. Relive every adventure every memorable moment from this groundbreaking series that re-launched the Star Trek legacy to a new generation - the next generation! Make it so!

After Star Wars and the successful big-screen Star Trek adventures, it's perhaps not so surprising that Gene Roddenberry managed to convince purse string-wielding studio heads in the 1980s that a Next Generation would be both possible and profitable. But the political climate had changed considerably since the 1960s, the Cold War had wound down, and we were now living in the Age of Greed. To be successful a second time, Star Trek had to change too. A writer's guide was composed with which to sell and define where the Trek universe was in the 24th Century. The United Federation of Planets was a more appealing ideology to an America keen to see where the Reagan/Gorbachev faceoff was taking them. Starfleet's meritocratic philosophy had always embraced all races and species. Now Earth's utopian history, featuring the abolishment of poverty, was brandished prominently and proudly. The new Enterprise, NCC 1701-D, was no longer a ship of war but an exploration vessel carrying families. The ethical and ethnical flagship also carried a former enemy (the Klingon Worf, played by Michael Dorn), and its Chief Engineer (Geordi LaForge) was blind and black. From every politically correct viewpoint, Paramount executives thought the future looked just swell! Roddenberry's feminism now contrasted a pilot episode featuring ship's Counsellor Troi (Marina Sirtis) in a mini-skirt with her ongoing inner strengths and also those of Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) and the short-lived Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby). The arrival of Whoopi Goldberg in season 2 as mystic barkeep Guinan is a great example of the good the original Trek did for racial groups--Goldberg has stated that she was inspired to become an actress in large part through seeing Nichelle Nichols' Uhura. Her credibility as an actress helped enormously alongside the strong central performances of Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard), Jonathan Frakes (First Officer Will Riker), and Brent Spiner (Data) in defining another wholly believable environment once again populated with well-defined characters. Star Trek, it turned out, did not depend for its success on any single group of actors. Like its predecessor in the 1960s, TNG pioneered visual effects on TV, making it an increasingly jaw-dropping show to look at. And thanks also to the enduring success of the original show, phasers, tricorders, communicators and even phase inverters were already familiar to most viewers. But while technology was a useful tool in most crises, it now frequently seemed to be the cause of them too, as the show's writers continually warned about the dangers of over-reliance on technology (the Borg were the ultimate expression of this maxim). The word "technobabble" came to describe a weakness in many TNG scripts, which sacrificed the social and political allegories of the original and relied instead upon invented technological faults and their equally fictitious resolutions to provide drama within the Enterprise's self-contained society. (The holodeck's safety protocol override seemed to be next to the light switch given the number of times crew members were trapped within.) This emphasis on scientific jargon appealed strongly to an audience who were growing up for the first time in the late 1980s with the home computer--and gave rise to the clichéd image of the nerdy Trek fan. Like in the original Trek, it was in the stories themselves that much of the show's success is to be found. That pesky Prime Directive kept moral dilemmas afloat ("Justice"/"Who Watches the Watchers?"/"First Contact"). More "what if" scenarios came out of time-travel episodes ("Cause and Effect"/"Time's Arrow"/"Yesterday's Enterprise"). And there were some episodes that touched on the political world, such as "The Arsenal of Freedom" questioning the supply of arms, "Chain of Command" decrying the torture of political prisoners and "The Defector", which was called "The Cuban Missile Crisis of The Neutral Zone" by its writer. The show ran for more than twice as many episodes as its progenitor and therefore had more time to explore wider ranging issues. But the choice of issues illustrates the change in the social climate that had occurred with the passing of a couple of decades. "Angel One" covered sexism; "The Outcast" was about homosexuality; "Symbiosis"--drug addiction; "The High Ground"--terrorism; "Ethics"--euthanasia; "Darmok"--language barriers; and "Journey's End"--displacement of Indians from their homeland. It would have been unthinkable for the original series to have tackled most of these. TNG could so easily have been a failure, but it wasn't. It survived a writer's strike in its second year, the tragic death of Roddenberry just after Trek's 25th anniversary in 1991, and plenty of competition from would-be rival franchises. Yes, its maintenance of an optimistic future was appealing, but the strong stories and readily identifiable characters ensured the viewers' continuing loyalty. --Paul Tonks

Even-numbered Star Trek movies tend to be better, and this one (number eight in the popular series) is no exception--an intelligently handled plot involving the galaxy-conquering Borg and their attempt to invade Earth's past, alter history, and "assimilate" the entire human race. Time travel, a dazzling new Enterprise, and capable direction by Next Generation alumnus Jonathan Frakes makes this one rank with the best of the bunch. Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his able crew travel back in time to Earth in the year 2063, where they hope to ensure that the inventor of warp drive (played by James Cromwell) will successfully carry out his pioneering warp-drive flight and precipitate Earth's "first contact" with an alien race. A seductive Borg queen (Alice Krige) holds Lt. Data (Brent Spiner) hostage in an effort to sabotage the Federation's preservation of history, and the captive android finds himself tempted by the queen's tantalising sins of the flesh. Sharply conceived to fit snugly into the burgeoning Star Trek chronology, First Contact leads to a surprise revelation that marks an important historical chapter in the ongoing mission "to boldly go where no one has gone before". --Jeff Shannon

1750: The Gambia West Africa. A new Mandinka warrior is born to Binta and Omoro called Kunta Kinte. His father turns the young baby's face to the heavens and whispers ""Behold - the only thing greater than yourself"". So begins the most critically and popularly acclaimed television drama of our time telling the struggle against the suffering slavery and discrimination endured by generations of black people as seen through the eyes of Kunta Kinte and his descendants...

Based on Alex Haley's bestseller, the 1977 TV mini-series Roots told the harrowing story of one man's ancestors, commencing with African warrior Kunta Kinte, captured, transported to America, stripped of his dignity, his rights, and even his name. He tries but fails to escape before accepting he can never return to Africa. He marries and bears a daughter, Kizzy, who is callously sold, then raped by her new "master". However, her son, Chicken George, a resourceful dab hand with gamecocks, lives long enough to see his own children attain a liberty of sorts following the Civil War. Roots is told in the same, accessible televisual language as The Waltons or Bonanza, yet it is never bland or evasive. It leaves no doubt as to the torment and abuse suffered by blacks, and although the series' conclusion is fictionally satisfying, for many of the black characters their only hope lies in generations yet unborn. It is sturdy enough drama but its greatest, most revolutionary effects were social. It persuaded American audiences to regard their history from a black perspective, and to see how--against odds far more desperate than those the pilgrims faced--Africans laid claim to their status as free African-Americans. Roots was massively popular, triggering a craze for genealogy and paving the way for series like 1979's Holocaust, which similarly raised the public's awareness of the slaughter of the Jews under Hitler. Most importantly, Roots changed forever the way black people were depicted on American TV. On the DVD: Roots is presented in 1:33:1 format and is visually extremely well-preserved. Extra features include a "Roots Family Tree", a copious, informative audio commentary featuring members of cast and crew, and a documentary, "Remembering Roots". Although this consists only of interviews, these convey the extraordinary emotional grip this project had on those who took part in it.--David Stubbs

""Space... The final frontier... These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: To explore strange new worlds... To seek out new life; new civilisations... To boldly go where no one has gone before!"" - Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) The complete fifth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation one of the finest sci-fi shows of all-time. Episodes Comprise: 1. Redemption (Part 2) 2. Darmok 3. Ensign Ro 4. Silicon Avatar 5. Disaster

Star Trek fans were decidedly mixed in their reactions to this, the ninth big-screen feature in Paramount's lucrative Trek franchise. Die-hard loyalists will appreciate the way this Next Generation adventure rekindles the spirit of the original Trek TV series while combining a tolerable dose of New-Age philosophy with a light-hearted plot for the Next Gen cast. This time out, Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his executive crew must transport to a Shangri-la-like planet to see why their android crewmate Data (Brent Spiner) has run amok in a village full of peaceful Ba'ku artisans who--thanks to their planet's "metaphasic radiation"--haven't aged in 309 years.It turns out there's a conspiracy afoot, masterminded by the devious, gruesomely aged Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham, hamming it up under makeup resembling a cosmetic surgeon's worst nightmare), who's in cahoots with a renegade Starfleet admiral (Anthony Zerbe, in one of his final screen roles). They covet the fountain-of-youth power of the Ba'ku planet, but because their takeover plan violates Starfleet's Prime Directive of non-interference, it's up to Picard and crew to stop the scheme. Along the way, they all benefit from the metaphasic effect, which manifests itself as Worf's puberty (visible as a conspicuous case of Klingon acne), Picard's youthful romance with a Ba'ku woman (the lovely Donna Murphy), the touching though temporary return of Geordi's natural eyesight, and a moment when Troi asks Dr. Crusher if she's noticed that her "boobs are firming up".Some fans scoffed at these humorous asides, but they're what make this Trek film as entertaining as it is slightly disappointing. Without the laughs (including Data's rousing excerpt from Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore), this is a pretty routine entry in the franchise, with no real surprises, a number of plot holes, and the overall appearance of a big-budget TV episode. As costar and director, Jonathan Frakes proves a capable carrier of the Star Trekflame--and it's nice to see women in their 40s portrayed as smart and sexy--but while this is surely an adequate Trek adventure, it doesn't quite rank with the best in the series. --Jeff Shannon

""Space... The final frontier... These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: To explore strange new worlds... To seek out new life; new civilisations... To boldly go where no one has gone before!"" - Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) The complete seventh season of Star Trek: The Next Generation one of the finest sci-fi shows of all-time. Episodes Comprise: 1. Descent (Part 2) 2. Liasons 3. Interface 4. Gambit (Part 1) 5. Gambit (P

As the sixth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation went into production, everyone knew that attentions would soon be permanently divided by the debut of Deep Space Nine. Sure enough that meant crossovers ("Birthright"), guest stars and references back and forth. The sense of baton-passing drew the TNG family closer, however. Directorial debuts begun in Season 5 allowed for repeat group-huddle ownership of several shows. Jonathan Frakes bettered "The Quality of Life" by "The Chase", which finally offered an explanation why most races in the Trek universe are humanoid with knobbly foreheads. Patrick Stewart crowbarred a Western into the franchise in "A Fistful of Datas". LeVar Burton introduced the far more exciting Riker clone Thomas in "Second Chances". But here we still find that inability to follow through a good idea, since it was intended for Tom to replace Will. Barclay outstayed his welcome with a lacklustre "Ship in a Bottle" (despite a hammy cameo from Stephanie Beacham) after he'd injected creepiness into "Realm of Fear". The same happened with Q and the painfully weak "True Q" contrasted by the philosophically challenging "Tapestry", where Picard faced the decisions of his youth. Yet ultimately the year provided more memorable moments than either year 5 did or year 7 would. There was the fun of a pint-sized Starfleet in "Rascals", the shocking comment on political torture in "Chain of Command", the endless Matrix-like guessing game of reality in "Frame of Mind", and even a jokey genre nod often called "Die Hard Picard" instead of "Starship Mine". The two biggest attention-drawing moments came via stellar cameos. There was the bittersweet sight of James Doohan revisiting the original Enterprise Bridge on "Relics", then a quick contribution by Stephen Hawking in the cliff-hanger "Descent". Both were attempts at keeping TNG the connoisseur's Trek incarnation of choice. --Paul Tonks

""Space... The final frontier... These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: To explore strange new worlds... To seek out new life; new civilisations... To boldly go where no one has gone before!"" - Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) The complete third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation one of the finest sci-fi shows of all-time. Episodes Comprise: 1. Evolution 2. The Ensigns Of Command 3. The Survivors 4. Who Watches The

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season Two travels warp speed into the next realm of adventure. Under the leadership of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), the Enterprise faces a season of new changes and big challenges. With Dr. Crusher on sabbatical, Chief Medical Officer Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur) fills in. And Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) arrives as 10 Forward's wise El-Aurian bartender. This voyage explores watershed moments, including Riker (Jonathan Frakes) experiencing the Klingon culture, Data (Brent Spiner) defending his humanity and the introduction of the Borg, a species of terrifying cybernetic conquerors threatening the fate of intelligent life. Presented for the first time on Blu-ray in 1080p high definition and digitally remastered 7.1 sound, this mission is not to be missed. Special Features: Episodic Promos: The Child Where Silence Has Lease Elementary, Dear Data The Outrageous Okona Loud as a Whisper The Schizoid Man Unnatural Selection A Matter of Honor The Measure of a Man The Dauphin Contagion The Royale Time Squared The Icarus Factor Pen Pals Q Who? Samaritan Snare Up the Long Ladder Manhunt The Emissary Peak Performance Shades of Gray Archival Mission Logs: Departmental Briefing Year 2: Production Inside Starfleet Archives: Penny Juday - Star Trek Coordinator Selected Crew Analysis Year 2 Departmental Analysis Year 2: Memorable Missions Mission Overview Year 2 Season 2 Promo Energized! Season 2 Tech Update 1988 Reading Rainbow Segment with Levar Burton 2012 Reading Rainbow iTunes Promo Archival Mission Log: Departmental Briefing Year 2: Production The Measure of a Man - HD Extended Version (Audio Commentary with Melinda Snodgrass and Mike and Denise Okuda) The Measure of a Man - Hybrid Extended Version Gag Reel Deleted Scenes Reunification: 25 Years After The Next Generation Making It So: Continuing The Next Generation Part 1: Strange New Worlds Part 2: New Life and New Civilizations

Season Three of Star Trek: The Next Generation took televised science fiction storytelling to new heights. Now, on high definition Blu-ray, the seminal season of this beloved series is more spectacular and compelling to watch than ever. Experience such thought-provoking episodes as 'The Survivors,' 'Sins of the Father,' 'The Offspring' and one of the great cliffhangers in television history: Part One of 'The Best of Both Worlds'... like never before, in glorious 1080p with English 7.1 sound.

The intergalactic voyage reaches infinite new depths in Star Trek: The Next Generation Season Seven. Featuring the crystal clarity of 1080p high-definition Blu-ray, digitally remastered 7.1 sound, and effects rebuilt from the original elements, you'll experience the mission of the USS Enterprise like never before. In this Emmy-nominated final season, Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) confronts an alliance between his sinister duplicate and the unstoppable Borg; Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) guides his son in becoming a warrior; and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) faces a time-shattering confrontation with the mysterious, god-like Q in the landmark finale that won science fiction's prestigious Hugo Award. Plus, discover unexpected secrets of the Star Trek universe with a rich array of special features.

<i>Star Trek: The Next Generation</i> Season Five is simply stunning on Blu-ray with 1080p high-definition picture. Experience enhanced visual effects rebuilt from the original film elements and surround yourself with the digitally remastered English 7.1 sound (or choose the original broadcast audio). In a season that garnered four Emmy Awards, you'll be plunged into the 24th century for some of the series' most thrilling moments, including Captain Picard's (Patrick Stewart) pursuit of the r...

The powerful cliffhanger: The Best of Both Worlds Parts 1 and 2 has been fully restored in brilliant 1080p HD and seamlessly edited together into one feature-length presentation...and the crew of the Enterprise is asked: How do you stop an unstoppable foe? The Enterprise team discovers the devastated remains of a Federation colony as an ambitious young officer joins the crew to confirm the presence of the deadly Borg. Soon after, Borg drones abduct Captain Picard, mutilating him horribly as t...

""Space... The final frontier... These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: To explore strange new worlds... To seek out new life; new civilisations... To boldly go where no one has gone before!"" - Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) The complete sixth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation one of the finest sci-fi shows of all-time. Episodes Comprise: 1. Time's Arrow (Part 2) 2. Realm Of Fear 3. Man of the People 4. Relics 5.

Starting with Captain Picard&#39;s terrifying battle to escape from the inhuman Borg and culminating with the Klingon Empire on the brink of civil war in the series&#39; historic 100th episode you can now experience Season 4 and so much more on breathtaking Blu-ray. This set features dazzling 1080p high definition picture with visual effects painstakingly re-created from original film elements digitally remastered 7.1 sound (original broadcast audio also provided) and a wealth of newly produced behind-the-scenes special features and never-before-released deleted scenes. Special Features: All-new multi-part documentary Relativity: The Family Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation (HD) In Conversation: The Art Department (HD) Audio Commentaries on Reunion and Brothers Gag Reel created from original film elements (HD) Deleted Scenes (HD) Archival Mission Logs Episodic Promos

""Space... The final frontier... These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: To explore strange new worlds... To seek out new life; new civilisations... To boldly go where no one has gone before!"" - Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) The complete second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation one of the finest sci-fi shows of all-time. Episodes Comprise: 1. The Child 2. Where Silence Has Lease 3. Elementary Dear Data 4. The Outr

Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Next Generation crew engage in their most thrilling adventure yet - a sci-fi action event that stands proud and apart (Richard Corliss Time). They call themselves the Borg - a half-organic half machine collective with a sole purpose: to conquer and assimilate all races. Led by their seductive and sadistic queen (Alice Krige) the Borg are headed to Earth with a devious plan to alter history. Picard's earlier encounter with the Borg almost killed him. Now he wants vengeance. But how far will he go to get it?

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the first broadcast of a Star Trek episode in 1966, this Steelbook features art based on the original theatrical poster, plus commemorative 50th Anniverary logo. After an epic battle against the Borg (cybernetically-enhanced life forms) Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise follow the Borg Sphere back into the 21st century to prevent the Borg from contaminating Earth's timeline and preventing Earth's fi rst contact. Picard and the crew must work together to battle the Borg Queen before she assimilates all of mankind and changes history forever. Resistance is futile. Bonus Features: COMMENTARY BY: Damon Lindelof and Anthony Pascale INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC THE NEXT GENERATION GREETINGS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SPACESHIPONE'S HISTORIC FLIGHT BRENT SPINER: Data and Beyond Part 2 TREK ROUNDTABLE: First Contact STARFLEET ACADEMY: Temporal Vortex BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVES: Library Computer Star Trek IQ (BD-LIVE) PLUS OVER 3 HOURS OF PREVIOUSLY RELEASED CONTENT